In the current One Piece arc there have been a plethora of reveals, from Kid and Law’s great awakening, Luffy’s past, and all the way to solving mysteries of the franchise. In One Piece chapter 1,033, we learned about the origin of Roronoa Zoro’s two oldest swords. During his ethical fight against King, one of Kaido’s powerful vassals, our hero had a couple of flashbacks that showed his childhood, the moment when he received his swords from Shimotsuki Kozaburo himself, a powerful swordsman and blacksmith who had fled from the Wano country.
Now we know that the two legendary One Piece swords that Roronoa Zoro obtained, had been created by a legend from the Country of Wano. The most notable of them is Enma “The god of demons”, which according to its creator, is the most powerful sword he has forged.. As this swordsman recalls, both were created by a legendary blacksmith from Wano Country who fled (in very mysterious ways) to a small village in East Blue where he was known as “The Old Man of the Village.”
As a child, Zoro was ignorant of the past of “The Old Man of the Village,” whom he would visit after his training as a swordsman at the dojo. Despite not knowing his past, our well-known warrior formed a strange relationship with this legend, whom he grew fond of. For his part, «The old man of the village», returned him and wanted to help him achieve his dream of becoming the best swordsman in the world. One of the two weapons that Zoro received from him was known as Enma “The King of Demons” who, according to this blacksmith, was the most powerful sword he had ever made.
In Roronoa Zoro’s memoirs, he recalled this moment in his life and wondered who that old man was and, after a series of flashbacks, his conclusion was that it was Shimotsuki Kozaburo, the legendary blacksmith from One Piece.. Other blacksmiths had already mentioned it, but our swordsman had not assimilated the information said by his companions.
Until that moment, “The Old Man of the Village” was a complete stranger, whom He only knew by being the grandfather of Kuina, his training partner in the dojo. In fact, this unique information about his life was discovered after his death. Even after his death, he was still a mystery.
Zoro’s new challenge in One Piece
On the other hand, what did these memories awaken in Zoro? It all started with his fight with King in One Piece, our protagonist was having trouble maneuvering with his swords. Mainly, Enma “The God of Demons”, who refused to listen to him. Even his own enemy mentions: «It is the first time I have seen a swordsman being hindered by his own sword.«.
This is not by chance, because in this world of pirates, swords choose their owners, for better or for worse. Why right now? It seems that Enma has decided to put her wielder to the test at this critical moment. Although he has always had some problems maneuvering with this sword, this time his life is in danger, King has managed to resist its most powerful attacks without having a single scratch.
In fact, in One Piece chapter 1033, we are informed that King belongs to the so-called “Race of the Gods”, he is the only survivor of it. How is it that you can kill a god? Queen tells Sanji that this is something they will have to find out for themselves. However, this opens up the possibility for Zoro to emerge victorious..
If Zoro can master the devastating power of Enma and the rest of her blades, he will surely be able to defeat a “god.” According to the flashbacks of Zoro that we see in One Piece, Shimotzuki Kozaburo himself mentions to him that swords choose their wielders. Enma chose him and knows that he can learn to dominate her to be victorious against King. Or at least we hope so.
We hope that in One Piece chapter 1034, we are shown a Zoro bathed in victory.